updated 03:25 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012

Ace Metrix says iPhone 4S, Gal Note ads get impact

Apple's new turn towards celebrity iPhone 4S ads is having an effect on viewers, Ace Metrix gauged Friday. The Zooey Deschanel and Samuel L. Jackson TV spots were the most effective ads of the week of April 20, beating out two Samsung Galaxy Note ads. They weren't the most effective ads so far in 2012, as one of Samsung's earliest feature-focused Galaxy Note ads from February just slightly pulled ahead.

Either company had five ads in the top ten most effective for the year so far.
The rankings suggest that Samsung's attacks on iPhone users were less less effective than following Apple's path and showing the device actually in use: despite having spent a reported $10 million on its Super Bowl commercial, Samsung only managed to get tenth place for its 90-second ad. All its high-scoring ads talk features.

The celebrity iPhone ads were cast as successful gambles by Apple. Celebrity ads can be "polarizing," but Apple had been careful enough to choose widely alluring actors to reach the most possible viewers.

Whether or not the new wave of ads has an effect isn't yet apparent. TV promo campaigns don't always translate to real sales and sometimes are more useful for keeping the company in the public eye than spurring extra demand.